Conway vs Liddard Predictions: Experience meets power in the Hall of history

British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Kieron Conway puts his hard-won belts on the line against George Liddard this Friday, October 17. The title 12-rounder takes place at the historic York Hall in Bethnal Green, a boxing cathedral that has hosted everyone from Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno to Joe Calzaghe and the late, great Ricky Hatton. 

DAZN will screen the card live, with Shannon Ryan’s IBF intercontinental flyweight title scrap against Chloe Watson a standout bout. The event will also feature top Matchroom prospects Emmanuel Buttigieg and Taylor Bevan in action. Here are my Conway vs Liddard predictions ahead of their middleweight meeting.

Conway vs Liddard Odds

This is a close one in the markets, which is just how true boxing fans like their fights. Conway might be the champion but he is also the slight underdog at 21/20. Liddard is accustomed to favourite status, but 5/6 is his most marginal price yet in that slot. The draw is priced at 16/1. Worth a look in a fight where a cigarette paper might be all that splits them?

Conway vs Liddard Fight Preview

This well-balanced scrap will see an unbeaten prospect’s temperature taken in the cauldron of York Hall. The on-top nature of the bleachers evokes a pugilistic take on the Globe Theatre. Move over Shakey, you can stick your slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. In this hallowed house we trade in blood, sweat and sinew.

I fed you four legendary York Hall names in the intro, but the list goes on. Who do you want to hear about? Heavyweight kings like Joshua, Fury and Haye? Or perhaps their maligned precursors; the Bentt, Hide, Akinwande WBO merry-go-round of the 1990s? 

Eubank and Benn? Whether it’s Nigel and Chris or Conor and Junior, all four graced the Bethnal Green ring. Carl ‘The Cobra’ or Carl ‘The Jackal’? Take your pick as both Froch and Frampton pitched up at the spiritual home of British puglisitics.

Bringing it into the present ahead of Conway vs Liddard, these lads have both been here before. Of course they have. It is practically a prerequisite of holding a British boxing license. 

Liddard has only spent 92 competitive seconds in the York Hall ring. Precisely the time it took him to wipe out Italian import Omar Nguale Ilunga last Christmas. Conway has been thrice, most notably suffering the agony of a draw with Ted Cheeseman for the British title back in 2019 before taking a unanimous nod off Craig O’Brien in the same building six months later.

That gap in experience echoes further than the East End. Conway is 29 years old and a veteran of 27 fights. ‘Too Good’ has taken Stateside tests against world class opponents and emerged with pride, if not glory. Meanwhile, Liddard is a fresh-faced 23-year-old with the attendant character-building wins over journeymen to back it up.

But Liddard has been moved well by Matchroom. His quality of opposition has steadily improved. Last year’s stoppage of 9-1 George Davey was a very good win, with Liddard dropping ‘G Force’ in five rounds. After wiping out Ilunga in this very ring, the youngster beat Derrick Osaze on points, a man who has fought at the very top end of the domestic division.

Pertinently, Osaze outpointed Conway over three rounds in the old Ultimate BOXXER format back in 2019. Liddard’s fifth-round win over Aaron Sutton last time out in a British title eliminator was very impressive. I’d tipped the wonderkid to need the full 10 rounds to beat his man, but Liddard finished the accomplished Bristolian before halfway.

Liddard can bang. He carries more power than seven knockouts in 12 fights suggests. Osaze aside, those distance fights came over six rounds in learning contests. But he’ll need more power than he has ever summoned before against an opponent who even ‘Ammo’ could not put a decisive bullet in.

Conway took on a very tough away fixture when he faced Austin Williams in Las Vegas back in 2022. ‘Ammo’ was on a fast-track to world titles at that stage in his career and ‘Too Class’ was threatened with a demolition job by the American. But Conway acquitted himself well by going the full 10 despite hitting the deck in the ninth session.

Conway is worth far more than his defeats. There are excellent wins on his record. Conway has beaten the likes of Macaulay McGowan, James Metcalf, Navid Mansouri, Linus Udofia and Ryan Kelly. It is as strong a domestic record as you could ask for, with the crowning achievement of May’s fourth-round TKO of Gerome Warburton to win the British and Commonwealth straps.

These are the sort of achievements a starry-eyed Liddard dreams about. He can make those dreams come true on Friday night. But in order to do so, Liddard faces a man in Conway who will not go quietly.

Conway vs Liddard Full Card

Kieron Conway vs George Liddard

Jimmy Sains vs Troy Coleman

Shannon Ryan vs Chloe Watson

Taylor Bevan vs Lukas Ferneza

Emmanuel Buttigieg vs Christian Schembri

Tiah Mai Ayton vs Laura Belen Valdebenito

Jermaine Dhliwayo vs Mario Victorino Vera

Adam Maca vs Juan Alberto Batista

Conway vs Liddard Prediction

There is not much in this one. Conway has been forged in the fires of experience, with the scars and the championships to tell the tale. Liddard has largely had it all his own way, but the men he is beating are getting better.

Conway is the best yet and that does give me pause. He is not the sort of man to go hiding, though, and I actually think that could hurt him. Liddard does not stop bullying forward and he throws with real snap. Conway has seven knockouts in 23 fights and I don’t see that being enough power to keep the younger man off him. 

I am going to take Liddard to wear his man down here and take a late stoppage. Something about rounds 10-12 makes sense to me. 12/1 if you see it my way.

Image: Matchroom Boxing/Mark Robinson

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